Enhanced Performance of CNT‐doped Imine Based Receptors as Fe(III) Sensor Using Potentiometry and Voltammetry

A highly sensitive and selective potentiometric and voltammteric assay for the detection of Fe³⁺ using (E)‐3‐((2‐(2‐(2‐aminoethylamino) ethylamino) ethylimino)methyl)‐4H‐chromen‐4‐one (IFE(III)) ionophore was developed. To demonstrate the ion‐to‐electron transfer ability of MWCNT, these were incorporated in the ion‐selective membrane and response characteristics of Fe³⁺ electrode was compared with those of the traditional ion selective electrode. The electrode showed an improved Nernstian slope, lower detection limit, response time of less than 5 s and working in a pH range of 3.0 to 8.0. Differential pulse voltammetric studies were performed for IFE(III)‐Fe³⁺ complex in DMSO solvent medium at glassy carbon (GC) electrode. A linear relationship between the cathodic peak current and concentration of Fe³⁺ was observed in the range of 1.6×10^?5 to 4.4×10^?5 mol/L with a detection limit of 5.2×10^?8 mol/L. The electrode shows remarkable selectivity for Fe³⁺ ions over alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The optimized electrode was successfully applied for the determination of Fe³⁺ ion in different real‐life samples using potentiometric technique. Theoretical calculations were used to support the complexation behavior of Fe³⁺ with IFE(III).     

Multicomponent Approach to Hydantoins and Thiohydantoins Involving a Deep Eutectic Solvent

We report an efficient synthetic strategy to diverse hydantoins and thiohydantoins involving a three‐component reaction with the aid of deep eutectic solvent. Here, N,N′‐dimethyl urea and N,N′‐dimethyl thiourea play a dual role as reactant and reaction medium along with l ‐(+)‐tartaric acid. The three‐component reaction provides an easy access to 5‐amino‐1,3‐dialkyl‐substituted hydantoins and thiohydantoins in good yields.     

Estimation of vanadium in different oxidation states

Summary In the present investigations, the different oxidation states of vanadium have been estimated volumetrically in mixtures with the help of visual indicators.

---

Zusammenfassung Die verschiedenen Wertigkeitsstufen des Vanadiums wurden volumetrisch in Mischungen bestimmt. Zur Endpunktanzeige dienten visuelle Indicatoren.

---

---

Thanks of the authors are due to the C.S.I.R. authorities for providing a Research Fellowship to one of them (R.K.M.).     

Fuzzy Application to the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Robot Selection

The problem of Robot Selection is of great relevance in the present times of automation. Traditionally such problems were addressed using conventional techniques of Multi Criteria Decision Making such as The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and The Multi Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT). This paper proposes a methodology for solving common Robot Selection problems using a modification of the conventional AHP by incorporating ‘Fuzzy Linguistic Variables’ in place of numbers. The methodology encapsulates creation of Fuzzy Interface for conversion of input and output variables into suitable linguistic variables. Further, employing the fuzzification process by assigning the linguistic variables to numerical values of the membership functions and formulating suitable decision rules, the procedure culminates into the defuzzification process for converting fuzzy output into crisp value and obtaining the result in the form of Fuzzy Score. The proposed model is explained using a numerical example. The paper also presents a validation of the proposed methodology over real world problems and provides directions for future research towards the end.Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation.     

A self-aligning ultrasound sensor for detecting foreign bodies in glass containers

This paper introduces the principle and design of an ultrasonic transducer system with auto-alignment mechanism. The proposed system is used for detecting foreign bodies (FBs) in beverage containers. Variation in reflection amplitude is analyzed as a function of the ultrasound beam incident angle to beverage container surface. It is concluded that there exists a quadratic relationship between the strength of the reflected signal and the incident angle. Furthermore, a calculation for effective angular increment for searching the normal of a curved surface is introduced. Experiments conducted using the prototype demonstrated that FBs are detectable in various juices. Experiments also observed some false echo signals that occur due to curved container surface. Threshold in confined time region is therefore set to ensure no fail of detection in low signal to noise ratio. This design is also applicable to non-destructive inspection for metal canned food.     

Investigations on the nature of the transient species formed on pulse radiolysis of a aqueous solution of 4-(methylthio)benzoic acid

The transient absorption spectrum (max = 320, 400 and 550 nm) obtained on reaction of OH radicals with 4-(methylthio)benzoic acid is assigned to a solute radical cation with a positive charge on the benzene ring. The reaction with specific one-electron oxidants also produced similar spectrum and the oxidation potential for the formation of solute radical cation is estimated to be between 1.4 and 1.6 V vs NHE. The reaction of e_aq ^- with the solute showed the formation of a transient absorption band at 320 nm and is assigned to solute radical anion with reduction potential more negative than-1.5 V.     

Control of gigawatt REB pulse duration using gas injection

A technique for controlling the voltage and current pulse duration of a gigawatt relativistic electron beam (REB) was investigated. The pulse duration of a beam of 250 keV and 10 kA was controlled from 60 ns to 10 ns by injecting gases (air,, argon, and hydrogen) into the diode gap at a pressure ranging from 10^-5 torr to 10^-1. The observed dependence of the pulse duration on the nature and pressure of the gas is explained in terms of volume ionization of the gas by beam electrons. It is concluded that the pulse duration is governed by the time at which the plasma density created by the beam reaches a critical value of the order of beam electron number density     

Pulse radiolysis study of redox reactions of safranine T in sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) micellar medium

Reaction of hydrated electrons with safranine T (SF⁺), a phenazine dye useful as sensitizer in photogalvanic cell and the transient semireduced species formed by this reaction have been studied in SDS micellar medium using the technique of pulse radiolysis. Thee _aq ⁻ reaction with SF⁺ in the micellar environment was only marginally slower (5.1 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) as compared to that in homogeneous aqueous medium (2.2 × 10¹⁰ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) explicable on the basis of our finding that although a large fraction of the dye gets localized near the micelle Stern layer where the molecule experiences a dielectric.constant of ≈40, a small but significant concentration of the dye exists in the aqueous bulk as charge pair complex with the anionic surfactant monomer (association constant for the formation of the complex being 2.8 × 10⁴ dm³ mol⁻¹). The transient semireduced absorption band observed in the micellar medium showed a red shift of ≈ 50 nm and also the decay of the transient, which was very fast with 2k = 1 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ in aqueous medium, was stable in the SDS micellar medium over a few tens of milliseconds suggesting that the radical is incorporated deeper than the parent molecule in the SDS micelle. The effect of this stability on the photogalvanic conversion needs to be examined.     

Tea CO2 laser-induced deuterium exchange in the ammonia—fluoroform-d system

Vibrational excitation of CDF₃ and NH₃ at 970 cm^?1 by a TEA CO₂ laser results in deuterium—hydrogen exchange suppressing the IR-laser-induced multiphoton chemistry of CDF₃.     

Plasma waves in a stochastic magnetic field

Propagation of circularly polarized waves along a spatially uniform but temporally fluctuating magnetic field is considered. It is shown that the coherent waves are damped. The results are compared with those for Krook's relaxation model.